Word Wednesday: Couch

a piece of furniture for seating from two to four people, typically in the form of a bench with a back, sometimes having an armrest at one or each end, and partly or wholly upholstered and often fitted with springs, tailored cushions, skirts, etc,; sofa.

I’ve been showing a bunch of houses these past few weeks, several have been vacant. And when showing these vacant houses there’s been a question that’s come up again and again and again. Not, “What would my payment be on this property?” Not, “What are the taxes and assessments?” Not even “Why are they selling?” The pressing real estate question when showing these several vacant houses???

“Where do you put the couch?” Couch placement, that’s the question.

And I get it, sometimes it’s hard to visualize where you’d put your furniture in a property with no furniture. Empty rooms almost appear smaller, they don’t appear large enough to hold all the furniture they will eventually, inevitably contain.

I attend these showings with my property listings in hand, taxes, assessments, room dimensions, days on market, I can answer those questions easily. But “Where do you put the couch?” I’ll make some suggestions, but, I don’t know for sure.

I move my couch around in my own house because I’m not sure where my couch should go.

So when my buyer clients ask…”Where do you put the couch?” I make suggestions but I have no definitive answers.

There’s decorating advice…

The general decorating rule of thumb says the couch should face the focal point. According to decorators placing the couch in front of the window or across from the window or in front of the fireplace are options as well.

When you’re buying the house you can put your couch pretty much anywhere you want to. It’s your couch and your house.

But when you’re selling your house it’s a different story. When you’re selling your house think moving out not cozying in, think staging not decorating.

Staging rules are different than decorating rules. And as it pertains to “Where do you put the couch?” it’s all about “the shot.” The shot that will be the photograph of the room.

In staging terms it’s called “sightline” and it’s your eyes view of a room. For staging purposes, it’s best to have an unobstructed sightline, where everything in the room is in view.

Sometimes placement of the couch is counter to decorating advice. A couch in a sunroom would surely be placed to face the view of the yard out the windows, but the “shot” and the sightline are improved with the couch in front of the window.

When you’re selling your house consider the shot; consider the photograph being taken. The couch should be placed where it will best create a beautiful photo and show off the features and focal points of the room.

I’m not sure where the couch should go in the homes my clients’ view. When they buy the house they may have to rearrange their couch like I do mine. But when it comes to the couch in the room of the house that will soon be for sale?? Think staging not decorating. Consider the sightline, check the shot. “Where do you put the couch?” You’ll know the answer.

Couch.

The Amy Curtis Group can offer suggestions on staging your home. Still, we think it’s best that our clients receive professional staging advice. It’s why we provide our clients with a complimentary staging evaluation by Julea Joseph with Reinventing Space. If you’re thinking about moving give us a holler, we’ll show you all the best “shots.”